Help...Deleading a rifle barrel?

[Rsadams]

Firing fmjs through it will make it worse , heat and pressure got it in there's and more heat and pressure will pack it even tighter... A bronze brush and some sort of lead cleaning fluid will get it out... It will definitely take some scrubbing.... Try loading not as hot and a better cleaning routine , cleaning more often... You will get it out eventually...Then take measures to keep it from building up again... Loading lead hot will make leading happen bad... It's honestly why I stay away from it anymore if possible... As mentioned above coating your bullets will greatly reduce leading... There's some good info on coating on you tube....

 

[Iowa Fox]

Coat the bore with either Kroil or Ed's Red for a couple of days. Then use your Chore Boy again. Those liquids will penetrate under the lead, and can be easily removed. Used it all the time before I learned how to prevent the leading in the first place.

Using the jackets bullets approach was commonly thought to work many years ago. Current thinking is it just "irons" the lead to the barrel. Buy YMMV.

This is what I do and it works.

I usually soak it over night after I think its clean and if any lead is still present it will show up dark grayish splothes. One thing lead is so easy to remove compared to copper or powder/carbon fouling I don't get excited about it but once you know what is causing it you can pretty much eliminate it.

 

[Gun Smith]

Heat up the bbl enough where the lead melts but the BBL Steal does not!!

I had a customer bring me a Savage Model 6 type .22 rf semi-auto years ago. He said he fired a round, and the bullet was stuck in the barrel. I could see a slight bulge in the soft barrel
steel, and figured it should be fairly easy to tap out the slug. No dice. He must have fired a couple dozen or more rounds, as the barrel was plugged from end to end minus a few inches at each end. I punched out the barrel pins to remove the barrel, and used a torch to melt out what seemed like a river of lead! It was unreal. He must have kept on firing it over and over, and surely must have had some cases split and blow back in his face I thought. The barrel was darn good and hot, but I finally gave up, as I couldn't get it all out. Called him up, and told him it was toasted; literally! Such fun wasting my time on at best a $40 pos rifle. Not!

 

[coldboreshot]

Coldbore, have you ever tried Shooter's choice lead remover? If so, is one better than the other?
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1014882435?pid=398676

I have not, so I could not give reference. May I say that it works just slightly better than the BoreTech lead remover, but ever so slightly. I got the "No Lead" jut to try and it turned out to work great.

 

[Ken]

I liked the old timer/mercury post above. That's the way we did it in the olden days. I may still have some mercury.

 

[kelbro]

This works!

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1014811888?pid=243419

 

[jonbearman]

I used a 32 caliber bronze brush and CLP oil. I brushed it quite a few tomes and patched it out and let a bunch coat that barrel and it seemed to work on my Krag rifle.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I liked the old timer/mercury post above. That's the way we did it in the olden days. I may still have some mercury.

Without debating the safety aspect, I'm not sure there is a more effective lead remover. Its probably not even possible but what do I know? I try to let chemists be chemists, which I am not.

 

[chop house]

Frontier scrubby pads

hey, thanks for the tip.... in the description they also mention copper.

 

[chop house]

I've been using bronze wool wrapped around a smaller than bore size bronze bristle brush.

that would be the 'lewis lead remover' .....?

 

[1911nut]

I’d try the various solvents before scrubbing with brushes et al. The solvents might do the heavy work.

 

[1911nut]

I used Outers Foul Out electronic on 45 wad gun barrels. It was the closest thing I ever saw as a miracle. In 10 minutes it reversed plated the lead onto the stainless rod. It left a lead free barrel smoothed by thousands of 200 g wadcutters.

 

[rockhound78]

I use a mix of ATF/marvel mystery oil/ballistol and 0w-20 Mobil synthetic in a 2/1/1/2 ratios

 

[chop house]

I used Outers Foul Out electronic on 45 wad gun barrels. It was the closest thing I ever saw as a miracle. In 10 minutes it reversed plated the lead onto the stainless rod. It left a lead free barrel smoothed by thousands of 200 g wadcutters.

i remember those devices. i was going to it on a rifle bbl and had gathered all the parts but never followed through. i think i still have the can of electrolyte solution'

 

[Fuj]

I cant believe some expert hasn't already posted: "all ya gotta do is get some mercury and fill up the bore.

Still have some stored away. I had a 6" model 19 that leaded
if it was in the same room....LOL Years back at the Second
Chance shoot, A gentleman was selling 1/4" thick wool pads
that were covered in some type of yellow dust. Wrapped a
piece around a stainless brush, and it worked. Have no clue
what it was but I'm still cancer free.....LOL

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

I have never had this problem, but thinking about it I wonder why hand lapping would not work. Seems like a hundred strokes would more than take care of the problem.

 

[paperpuncher]

OP plenty of good suggestions on how to get it out so i wont add to the list. I have a suggestion to help you from getting lead buildup in your barrel. Alloy your casting material with a tin/antimony rich alloy like linotype or foundrytype. Coating your bullets with powdercoat or Hitec will help as well. I have plenty of lino and foundry if you need some shoot me a pm

 

[kneedtospeed]

Maybe a little off topic, but the biggest factor is your bullet.
Proper Sizing and Hardness for application, and you can push them pretty hard with minimal leading. Some coatings will extend the count between cleanings. Kroil soaking is effective in loosening lead fouling.
Talk to your supplier, and see if they'll work with you, or call pennbullets.com Bob Palermo is very knowledgeable, and helpful.
Cast Bullets are not one size fits all.

 

[msinc]

As above, the answer really is the bullet itself and the lube. I have no doubt that mercury, when applied will get rid of lead in a bore...but where do you get it??? It reminds me of Steve Martin telling everyone how to have two million dollars and not pay any taxes, "first, get two million dollars....". It really is a proven fact that the absolute fastest lead remover is unicorn pi$$!!!! It does it in half the time of mercury.
We hear a lot about "hard cast", "hard bullets", "hard alloy", etc. , but the answer to leading is really soft lead. The softer the better and the less leading. Hang around over on the cast bullets website and you will learn that dead soft pure lead is the bullet casters holy grail and mainly for this reason.

Edit: Gotta love Hollywood...how many of you guys remember that movie "Day of the Jackal" where the assassin pours mercury into hollow point bullets covers it with melted wax and shoots a watermelon??? It explodes like it was hit with a 220 Swift. If mercury could make an anemic little 22 rimfire do all that you probably could buy it somewhere.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

This is what I use for hand lapping. It should work very well for your purpose.

https://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/patches-mops/cleaning-pellets/weapons-care-system-pellets-prod13839.aspx